The Harbor Gallery has chosen two local artists inspired by the ocean, Johnny Glogowski and Janet Payne, to exhibit for the month of June. A meet the artists reception will be held on June 3rd from 4pm-6pm. Light refreshments will be served. All artwork is for sale, with a portion of sales going to support the Nature Center of Cape May. The Harbor Gallery is located at New Jersey Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May at 1600 Delaware Ave, Cape May. The Nature Center will follow all CDC Covid safety guidelines. Johnny Glogowski is a local self taught photographer who started shooting videos and photographs of skateboarders over ten years ago as a way to still be around his friends after being injured skateboarding. Johnny soon turned his camera to the ocean and surfers. A North Cape May native, his love of the ocean started at an early age, spending hours tossed by the waves with his friends. “The ocean is everything to me.” Explains Johnny. “It’s my friends. It’s my peace and quiet. It’s my teacher. It’s my therapy. It’s an instant mood changer.” His photographs certainly capture the mood of the ocean, often shooting during the “golden hour”, the last hour of the day. Johnny shoots in both black and white and color depending on the story or feeling he wants to portray with each photo. Janet Payne is a local artist and jeweler. Janet spends hours each morning walking the beaches of Cape May collecting sea glass for her jewelry. Along the way she picks up beach trash. She creates fanciful fish out of the plastic collected from the tide line. Janet was inspired to start picking up beach trash after seeing micro plastic on the strand line of a beach on Maui when she was there for the birth of her grandson over six years ago. “I want to make sure that all of our grandchildren have a beautiful beach to enjoy and explore. I hope that my fish can be a conversation starter about our use of single use plastic and hopeful bring about some changes in our everyday use of plastics.” Explains Janet. “For this show I have also been inspired by the natural, ocean worn textures in the driftwood I find on the beach.” Using acrylic paint, she gently coaxes the natural seascapes out of these pieces of wood, which are then framed with bits of dune fencing which she also finds on the beach. “We are so thrilled to host this exhibit for the month of June,.” explains Gretchen Whitman, Sanctuary Director. “June is such a special month for celebrating our ocean. June 8th is world Ocean Day, a day for ‘people around our blue planet to celebrate and honor our one shared ocean, that connects us all.’ And on June 11th we will celebrate the first Cape Island Ocean Festival here on the beautiful grounds of the Nature Center of Cape May.” The Cape Island Ocean Festival is sponsored by the Cape May City and West Cape May Environmental Commissions. The day will begin with a flow yoga class with Center Program Director Emily Wilmoth and a beach clean with Jillian Simons from 1 Piece Each. The day will continue with fun educational activities focused on the beauty and importance of the ocean and how we can all be good stewards of the sea. Activities will include; Harbor Safaris and Horseshoe Crab Lab, creative ocean themed activities for kids with various local non-profit organizations, short films and lectures, food trucks, a beer garden by Mudehen Brewery, live music and a selection of carefully curated local artists selling their work. The Harbor Gallery at the Nature Center of Cape May will continue to feature two local artists each month. July’s exhibit will feature the work of Debra Donahue and Carole McCray. For more information please contact Nature Center of Cape May 609-427-3045. Art lovers are encouraged to come and meet artists at the Nature Center of Cape May from 4-6pm on the first Friday of the month and then head over to The Gallery at Ferry Park for their artists’ opening reception which runs from 5-7pm on the first Friday of the month as well.
